Enjoy The Sting Gladiatour

Enjoying The Exotic Agadez

2010-10-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

The Exotic Mosque in Agadez

Colossal metallurgy in Agadez

The exotic desert in Agadez that you can enjoy

Africa Travel Guides:
Enjoying The Exoticism of The Historic City, Agadez

Hi, guys! after giving you a lot of information about getting travel in many islands of Bahamas islands. Now, we are trying to give you some tour references to Africa. the first exciting destinations of traveling in Africa is Niger. Niger is one of the exotic travel destinations in Africa. And the most exciting place in Niger is Agadez.

Agadez is the exotic city that was be founded in the 11th century. it is a historic city in Aïr region of Niger. In the past time, Agadez city was an important stop for caravans crossover the Saharan Desert for centuries. Many caravans and kafilahs stopped in this city for taking a rest while trading transactions.

Agadez was held by the Mali empire during part of the 14th century, captured by the Songhai empire in 1515, and dominated by Bornu in the 17th century. It remained a trade center until the late 19th century. During much of this time it was a center of Islamic learning and the seat of several sultanates before its capture by the French in 1900.

Gadez city is a center of Tuareg culture and likewise two Tuareg rebellions in recent years: 1990-1995 & 2007-present. The Tuareg people are the example Canaanites from the Bible. The meaning of Canaan is 'land of the purple people.' This unusual moniker is in reference to the bluish-purple vegetable dye the Tuareg use to color their clothing that afterward rubs soured onto their skin.

The Tuareg are renowned for their metal and leather workings.The region around Agadez is known for its impressive desert/mountain scenery. It is also the center of one of the largest uranium mining regions on Earth.

article source: http://wikitravel.org/en/Agadez

Brazil Travel Guide - Travel to Brazil

2010-10-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

Brazil is the biggest country in South America. It borders every other country of the continent except Chile and Ecuador.

Brazil is very much a country of contrasts. When someone hears the word Brazil, one thinks of the great Amazon forest, fantastic beaches, great soccer players, Carnival time - and that's all. Well, Brazil, the most important country in South America, certainly has MUCH more to offer - warm people, great cities with everything from slums to high technology, a wide range of weather patterns, an awesome mixture of cultures and races - and much more!
BRAZIL TRAVEL INFO
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The most visited places in Brazil includes Fernando de Noronha Island, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (the two bustling megacities of the south-east), the more relaxed city of Salvador in the northeast, or the old colonial towns of Ouro Preto and Olinda. For natural beauty, try a visit to Iguacu Falls. If you have the chance the best time to visit is Carnival.

There is nothing in the whole wide world like Carnival in Rio. Brasilia, the capital city of the country, is known by its great architecture. It is a planned city.

The most up-and-coming resort in Brazil is now the small friendly Praia de Pipa, in the NE of the country; serviced by international airports at Natal and Recife, this small town is popular with both Brazilians and foreign tourists. The laid back attitude of the open and friendly locals make this a welcome change to some of the more recognised but less safe and inviting destinations.

In Southern Brazil you can visit the state of Santa Catarina, which is visited every year by people who prefer not too crowded spots like major cities or places where all tourists go. Small beaches like Mariscal, Garopaba, Taquaras or Estaleiro beach are not too far away from medium size cities, so they provide all necessary structure, but at the same time still conserve their natural enchantments. Praia do Pinho (close to Balneario Camboriu - the most important touristic spot in southern Brazil) is the paradise for naturists as it is the first official nude beach in Brazil (http://www.praiadopinho.com.br). Many options of adventure activities such as rafting, diving, fishing, trekking are aso available in this beautiful region.

Tour in Australia

2010-10-02T23:23:00.000-07:00

Australia: An island that is isolated from other lands, inhabited by the exotic Great Barrier Reef, crystal clear water, golden beaches, wide open spaces, flora and fauna, basalt plains studded with extinct volcanoes, rugged wilderness, scenic mountain ranges, extensive coastlines, surrounding tropical islands, vast rivers, and the oldest rainforest in the world and considered by many to be the most adventurous place on Earth. Whatever type of adventure your looking for, you will find it, here in Australia. Be sure to visit our "Tours and Vacations" page to find great Australia Tours and Australia Vacations.

The Jetty of Tanjung Piai (Cape)

2010-09-21T01:04:00.000-07:00

The Jetty of Tanjung Piai trail is around 300-400 meter long. When we started the trail not too far from the main entrance, we saw a group of Nature and Wildlife Photographers setting up their gear and waiting to shoot on the Eagles around Tanjung Piai.

We were impressed by the Telephoto Lens they use...

After passing them, we met another group of peoples fishing along the pathway. What they caught for that day were mostly catfish....with one Blue Spotted Ribbontail Stingray (more than 1KG weight). I will blog about it after this post.

I love the walk to the Jetty, it's relax and especially cool sea breeze...we really enjoyed it!
We passed by the swamp area and noticed that the mangrove trees were planted nicely on it...

Ostrich Showfarm at Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan

2010-09-18T01:34:00.000-07:00

Ostrich Showfarm at Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan

China Travel and Tourism

2010-09-15T00:32:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Travel Guides

China Travel and Tourism:
Enjoying The Amazing Shanghai

Shanghai is one of the fastest growth cities in the world. Shanghai is becoming a new icon of China. Shanghai now is being same as beautiful as Hong Kong. thus, we suggest you to have traveling to Shanghai. Traveling to Shanghai will give you some enlightments about a modern world. beside that, Shanghai also offers the tourists the absolute satisfaction of touring. The information below is about some details of Shanghai. we hope it will help you before going to Shanghai, China.

Shanghai (上海 Shànghǎi), with a accumulation of more than 18 million (and over 5.8 million migrants), is one of the most populous and most developed cities in the People's Republic of China. Shanghai was the largest and most prosperous municipality in the Far East during the 1930s, and has remained the most developed municipality in China. In the past 20 years Shanghai has again became an attractive municipality for tourists worldwide.

Shanghai is a fascinating mix of East and West. It has historic shikumen (石库门） houses that blend the styles of Chinese houses with dweller design flair, and it has one of the richest collections of Art Deco buildings in the world. As there were so many concessions (designated districts) to Western powers during the turn of the 20th century, at times the city has a cosmopolitan feel. From classic Parisian style, to Tudor call buildings that give an English flair, patch the 1930s buildings put you in New York or Chicago.

In the beginning of the 1990s, the Shanghai polity launched a series of new strategies to attract external investments. The large move was to unstoppered up Pudong, once a rural area of Shanghai. The strategies succeeded, and now Pudong has become the financial district of Shanghai, with numerous skyscrapers.

Today Shanghai's goal is to develop into a world-class financial and economic center of China, and even Asia. In achieving this goal, Shanghai faces rivalry from Hong Kong, which has the plus of a stronger legal system and greater banking and service expertise. Shanghai has stronger links to the Chinese interior and to the central polity in addition to a stronger manufacturing and technology base. Since the handover of Hong Kong to the PRC, Shanghai has increased its persona in finance, banking, and as a major destination for corporate headquarters, fueling demand for a highly educated and cosmopolitan workforce.

Shanghai is one of the least polluted major cities in China, but that's only because of the sorry state of environmental protection in China in general and its air quality can ease be quite poor. Individuals with asthma or respiratory issues should be prepared when visiting Shanghai as well as another Chinese cities.

Article Source: www.wikitravel.org

Pictures : The Exciting Travel to Umbria , Italy

2010-09-12T00:31:00.000-07:00

Umbria beautiful agricultural land

historical building in Umbria

The exotic Waterfall in Umbria

Sanur Bali Travel

2010-09-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sanur is the perfect alternative to a vacation with a purpose of peace. Not as busy and sehinggar binggar Kuta, but still offers its own preoccupations. There are hotel accommodations from world class hotels such as the Bali Hyatt Sanur and Sanur Beach Hotel until the hotel yasmin amount under 100 000.

If you want to see a sunset (sunset) must be in Kuta, then to see the sunrise (sunrise) Sanur Beach is the place. From Sindhu beach we could see the scenery is spectacular sunrises. Do not forget to bring a camera to immortalize it.

Train travel in India

2010-09-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best way to see India is not on a plane at 35,000 feet, but at ground level on the incredible Indian railway system. In fact, no visit to India is complete without experiencing the bustle of Indian railway stations and a safe & comfortable journey on an Indian express train with the tea seller's welcome cry of 'Chai, chai, garam chai' coming down the aisle. You can safely forget media images of overcrowded suburban trains with people sitting on the roof. On a long distance express in an AC Chair car or an AC1 or AC2 sleeper, all seats and berths are reserved and it’s a safe, civilised, cheap & comfortable way to get around India. Even long distances such as Bombay to Delhi, Delhi to Varanasi or Delhi to Udaipur can be covered more time-effectively than flying, using overnight AC Sleeper trains, city centre to city centre, saving a hotel bill into the bargain.

Alamanda Shopping Centre at Putrajaya, Selangor.

2010-09-01T01:11:00.000-07:00

Alamanda Shopping Centre Putrajaya (N2°56.376' E101°42.714') located at Jalan Alamanda of the Federal Administrative capital of Malaysia, Putrajaya (between Energy, Water and Communications Ministry Office and Danau Point Apartment). You can refer from the map of this post.

Alamanda Shopping Mall

With a retail space of 700,000sq ft and over 3000 car parks providing convenient access to the mall, it is surrounded by lush greenery and water fountains which make Alamanda a mall not to be missed. The anchor tenants are Parkson Department Store, Carrefour Hypermarket, Cold Storage Supermarket and Golden Screen Cinemas Cineplex with over 160 specialty tenants including a bowling centre completing a vibrant and appealing retail mix.

You can find out more outlets having their offer on the Alamanda Shopping Centre website. Beside that, restaurants in the mall also providing their special discount differently. Go check it out!

The Shopping Centre has came out an attractive campaign - "Holiday On Us!". The campaign began from 28th November to 27th December 2009. It's a redemption! Not a contest, no quiz no slogan. Basically any shopper who spend RM800 and above in accumulated receipts in Alamanda, they are entitled for the holiday for free! Guaranteed! No questions asked!

It's really A good chance for you to do your Christmas Shopping! Just spend RM800 in accumulated receipts, you will definitely have your 8-days holiday vouchers in your hand! So just grab it before it's gone forever.
The voucher once validated online, shoppers have choice to choose Bali or Phuket oversea holiday and local destination (Kuantan/Pulau Langkawi/Penang/Port Dickson/Pulau Perhentian). For more information about the Holiday, you can visit the website : http://www.alamanda.com.my

Touring Around Umbria at Night

2010-08-30T00:16:00.000-07:00

center of the exotic city to be visited

people enjoy the night in Umbria

Umbria Travel Guides :
Touring Around Umbria at Night

Travel to Umbria is very exciting. there are too many beautiful views there. Umbria is a little Italy with natural sight seeing. You will get more exciting views in Umbria when you around it at night. Umbria at night is very beautiful. you will fill like in the city that never you come there because of its absolutely beauty.

Touring to Umbria at night will give you some enlighten of traveling. there are many places that you can visit in Umbria at night. just look at the pictures, those are the absolute beauties of Umbria on the night. Umbria at night is silent but too exotic for your exciting travel. you should have no worry to get your holidays in Umbria.

Tong Heng Bak Kut Teh at Pekan Nanas, Johor.

2010-08-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

Tong Heng Bak Kut Teh (N1°30.438' E103°30.737') is located in one Chinese Coffee Shop name 'Yoong Hee' along the main road of Pekan Nanas, Johor. (Next to the Pekan Nenas Police Station)

This Bak Kut Teh was recommended by one of the fellows Blogger - Ben. We had our breakfast here before the Tanjung Piai (Piai Cape) trip.

According to Ben, we Have to reach the shop before 11am. Because it will be Finish after that! So we started our journey from Permas Jaya around 9am and it took about an hour to reach the shop.

The environment of the shop

The shop wasn't crowded at that time, but the Bak Kut Teh gonna finish soon! Wah! So we quickly placed our order...which was included everything for 2 persons.

They served our meal about 10 minutes! Hmm...that was fast!

The boss busy preparing the Bak Kut Teh

Well, I can say the taste was above average. The pork served was gentle enough and so as other intestine...I'm satisfied with it. Thanks Ben!

The Bak Kut Teh serve in claypot

New York City luxury hotels

2010-08-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

class hotels are usually located in New York

Great Snow Conditions Launch In Travell

2010-08-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year -- and happy powder season across the snowbelt.

My friend Maja has been in St. Moritz, Switzerland, over the holidays. On Wednesday she wrote, "winter wonderland! ..snowing snowing snowing...." On Thursday she wrote, "December 31st, St. Moritz..and it's snowing like crazy! I wish all my friends a great New Years Eve bash!!!!!! To a fab 2010!" And yesterday, on New Year's Day, she wrote, "Happy New Year!!!!!! What a spectacular start! Love 1.1.2010! Fab Skiing! tons of powder, blue skies, GREAT fireworks ... evening another snow storm.... true winter wonderland.....I am feeling like a winter princess..... a great 2010 has begun! Happy New Year, cheers cheers cheers!" Thanks, Maja. I just wish St. Moritz had a current snow conditions picture on its website or that the site had a more straightforward to obtain to copy here and share with everyone.

My pal Nancy wrote from Maine, "Gotta Love This Snowstorm! It's great for the ski industry!" Hey Nancy, it's great for all of us who like to slide on snow. The photo at the right was taken at Sugarloaf, Maine, a happy fresh-snow scene repeated across New England. Vermont ski areas reported 3 to 9 inches of new snow, which in the Northeast is a major dump. Most Vermont areas were in the 2- to 5-inch category, but Mount Snow, in the southern part of the state reported 9 inches! If true, Mount Snow must had its own micro-weather system, because New Hampshire ski areas also welcomed 3 to 5 inches of new snow, and Jiminy Peak in northwestern Massachusetts reported just 1 inch.

But what of the Rockies? I went to Snowmass between Christmas and New Year, skiing on beautifully groomed snow on three cold, clear, wind-free days. It started snowing on the evening after day three, just as I was leaving. My son, Andrew, teaches skiing at Purgatory near Durango in southwestern Colorado. He tole me that they got about a foot in the days leading up to New Year, that conditions have been great there too, and that he, his ski school colleagues and their clients are eagerly awaiting their next powder day.

The biggest snows (and the best January deal) might just be at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The resort clocked in 19 inches of snow since Wednesday morning and is expecting huge storm that is forecast to hit the Tetons over the weekend, bringing another one to two feet of new snow. And the resort has an amazing January deal. The ‘Buy 2 Get 2’ airline offer from any departure city in the country, amounts to half-price fares on any airline for a group or family or four or more. Book before January 15 and travel by January 31. Combine that with lift/lodging packages starting at $81 per person, per night, and it's hardly worth staying home.

On the other side of the soaring Tetons from Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee has snared three feet of snow in the last three days. Th images are awesome, but I'm not skilled enough to download one and post it, so click here and be dazzled.

And if you don't ski, snowboard, cross-country ski, skate-ski (a dynamite exercise) or snowshoe, January is the time to do it. Learn a Snowsport Month features dynamite deals that generally include very affordable instruction, equipment and lift tickets or trail passes. Each participating ski resort or cross-country center sets its own program.

restaurant in Lisbon

2010-08-19T02:37:00.000-07:00

When I first arrive in a city after traveling for 20 hours — through 8 time zones — the last thing I want is haute cuisine. Tired, jet-lagged, and hungry, all I want is to walk into the neighborhood around my hotel and find a neighborhood restaurant with good, typical food that the locals eat.If you're staying in Lisbon, I highly recommend O Relicário. Literally around the corner from the Ritz

Siam House Restaurant at Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.

2010-08-17T00:34:00.000-07:00

The restaurant is just open not long ago, I got the info from the Malfreemaps.com Free GPS map. So we decided to try out for our Sunday lunch.

Siam House Restaurant (N1°31.372' E103°47.095') is located at Jalan Molek 1/30, Taman Molek. Opposite of Scotiabank Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.

The entrance and the interior design was Well decorated! Nice ambience!

I'm not really good in ordering the Thai foods, so the photos in the menu was making the judgement! Haha!
Our order as below...

Siam Pineapple Fried Rice

Red Curry Chicken

Steam Squid

Beef Thai Kuey Tiow (Rice noodle)

This...I forgot what's the name of it. But nice!

Winter Ski Travel

2010-08-14T01:37:00.000-07:00

Almost every winter break, we go to Beaver Creek, Colorado ( about 20 min. from Vail) for our family ski strip. Beaver Creek Mountain features a long ski season, lasting from November until April, and its summit elevation is about 11,440'/ 3,488m. We love to ski here because of the friendly environment for kids. It has amazing things set-up for kids; a Goldmine where kids can hunt for gold (fools gold), a Bear Cave where kids can see what it's like for bears (also fake bears) in hibernation, and a Jack Rabbit Run where kids can race through the trees. There are truly awesome things for the kids to do. They also have an excellent kids' ski school here.
The natural beauty of Beaver creek and the nearby villages of Arrowhead and Bachelor Gulch provide many leisure options no matter what the season or weather. In the summer, they have hot air balloon rides, horseback riding, bike trails, a challenging golf course, and mountain camping for older kids. We would like to come here in summer sometime for these cool activities.

The view.

This winter, they have The Crystal Grotto. Guests can experience North America's only performing arts center created from ice and containing instruments carefully hand-crafted from ice. They sound pretty good like normal musical instruments. The Crystal grotto is at the unique ice theater located near Spruce Saddle Restaurant, almost near the top of Beaver Creek mountain.

Too bad, those pics taken at The Crystal Grotto are not clear! It was fun to watch and a great experience that I never had before.

The ice-balls are the drums.
The guitar and the cello

The Pipe Drums
The xylophone.
FAMILY RANDOM PHOTOS.

Time for fire and marshmallows.

Bluespotted Stingray at Tanjung Piai - Johor

2010-08-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

"The bluespotted ribbontail ray, Taeniura lymma, is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, common throughout the coral reefs of the tropical Indian and western Pacific Oceans. A fairly small species not exceeding 35 cm (14 in) in width, this ray is easily recognizable by its oval pectoral fin disk, relatively short and thick tail with a deep fin fold underneath, and striking color pattern of many electric blue spots on a yellowish background with a pair of blue stripes on the tail." For more info, please click : Bluespotted ribbontail ray.

When we walked to the Jetty of Tanjung Piai, we met group of peoples fishing at along the pathway. Most the them caught a basket of Catfish, but...interesting was one of them caught a Bluespotted Stingray!

I did lift the Stingray. felt quite heavy...the weight at least few Kilogram! Wow! Cool!

They already chopped the tail when we were there, too bad I didn't see the 'Ribbontail'! The tail is the dangerous part of Stingray, the World Famous Mr Crocodile was killed by the tail!

Bluespotted Stingray

Hong Kong at Night in Travell

2010-08-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong at Night

Mount Brinchang Lookout Tower, Travel

2010-08-03T03:40:00.000-07:00

Mount Brinchang Lookout Tower (N4°31.113' E101°22.973') is located the end of the same road from Mossy Forest. I just miss out this post within my Cameron Highlands trip.

After Mossy Forest, we visit this tower which is located just before the Telecom Communication Building at Mount Brinchang. It's situated at the 2032 meter above sea level.

Staircase to the Tower

We were quite fortunate because of the Good weather that day, and we be able to see Ipoh Town on top of the Tower.

Ipoh town from far away. It's on the left of the tower.

On the right, you will the see the Titiwangsa Mountains.

"The Titiwangsa Mountains range starts starts in the north as a continuation of the Phuket mountain range in Southern Thailand, running approximately southeast and ends in the south near Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The highest elevation is the 2,183 m (7,162 ft) Gunung Korbu." For more info, please visit Wikipedia.

Another view from the tower, are few Telecommunication Tower with Full of antenna.

The antenna on the left might be the MARTS National Link Antenna.

We spent about 45 minutes there and continue our journey to the Time Tunnel Musuem.

Location map to Mount Brinchang Lookout Tower

Temples Of Orchha Travel

2010-07-31T01:38:00.000-07:00

«Храмы в Orchha» на Яндекс.Фотках

In a documentary about Empires of India there was very interesting part about the temples of one of the princely states, existed here from 1501. India was devided in many little states in that period and had to stand the occupation of the mongols.

Our imagination that the raja were very rich and had very nice life comes from that times too.

The pantheon involved great number of gods in India, and it was the only thing common for all the states. That is the reason probably of so many temples, entire towns of temples.
What is interesting, the most muslim mongols were very tollerant in confront to the religions of the population. Many famous buildings like Taj Mahal are examples of this mix of the cultures.

While in Orchha you can see a temple of Indian architecture. The Lakshmi Temple(Wikipedia).

Places Remembering Giordano Bruno travel

2010-07-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

With this post I want to continue to follow the pathes of very important characters of the human history.

Here I begin with Giordano Bruno, a rebel monk. He teached different ideas that were against the doctrine of the church. First of all, he thought, the Earth turns around the Sun and not contrary. He thought, there are many planets similar to our Sun and the Universe is very big (Read this post too: What We Are In The Universe? )

The life of Bruno beginns not far from the place I live, near Nola, a not very big town behind Vesuv.

He studied at the monastery in Naples and 17 years old entered the Dominican Order. He did not want to follow the philosophy of the church and had his own point of view. For this heresy he had to run away from the church all his life. He changed many places but finished his life in Rome, where was burned at the stake by Roman Inquisition after 7 years of the prison.

Here you see the view on the zone where he was born with Vesuv in the background.

«Vesuvio» на Яндекс.Фотках

And this is the palace of the Inquisition in Rome, piazza dei Fiori, where Bruno was prosecuted. He was burned here too. The statue you see over here is situated in the same square too.

Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

Skiing Utah: Powder Mountain

2010-07-27T01:07:00.000-07:00

"Less is more" at this ski area near Ogden (and that's not me blasting through the powder)

Powder Mountain offers more terrain and more snow with less infrastructure than any other area in Utah. It is a ski and snowboard area, pure and simple, and not a resort with lodging. There's 4,700 acres of inbounds terrain -- 2,800 acres directly lift-served, 1,200 more requiring a shuttle ride back to the lifts and 700 requiring a snowcat ride. Add to that 2,500 acres of guided snowcat skiing/riding terrain, and you have a formidable 7,200 acres to explore. In North America, only the combination of Whistler and Blackcomb offers more acreage. There's not a snowgun anywhere, for Powder Mountain receives 500 inches of cloudlight Utah snow every year. What's all the more remarkable is that Powder Mountain has just four chairlifts (only one a high-speed quad) and three surface tows.

The 5 1/2-mile access road ascends through the woods, first passing shuttle pick-up points for off-piste skiers and riders, and then the Sundown beginner/intermediate area served by a double chairlft and a surface tow. Laid out almost like a separate ski hill, it has a parking lot, a base lodge, a teaching hill, ski school, rental shop and lights for night skiing. The Timberline base has another another parking lot, another day lodge, a yurt from which private lessons and powder tours depart and a ski shop including rentals.What you don't see is a lift.

It is necessary to ski down to the loading area for the Timberline triple, and from there, you can access the Hidden Lake Express, a recent replacement for a classic old double chair that accesses the heart of Powder Mountain's lift-served terrain and culminates at the area's highest point. Powder Mountain's topography is a series of ridges and valleys, and long roads between them. Gentle meanderers lace across the complicated terrain, and groomed cruisers entice intermediate and advanced skiers. But Powder Mountain's abundant black-diamond turf really makes it shine. Outstanding tree skiing, rock-rimmed chutes, headwalls and snowy spillways make it a place for advanced and expert skiers and riders to rip. Especially on non-holiday weekdays, you can have the vast terrain practically to yourself. The terrain is complicated and spread-out that the two-dimensional trail map is helpful, but even better for getting a clearer picture of the lay of the land is to take the free guided tour that takes off from the Timberline base at 10:00 a.m. daily.

The limited on-mountain lodging is not operated by Powder Mountain. Lodging options include the condos and townhomes in the rental program of Wolf Creek at the bottom of the Powder Mountain access road, additional accommodations in the small town of Eden and downtown lodging in Ogden, a very cool little city less than an hour's drive.

Powder Mountain, P.O. Box 1119, Eden, Utah 84310; 891-745-3772.

Spago, Bachelor Gulch : Food Travel

2010-07-25T01:28:00.000-07:00

Spago, Bachelor Gulch.

On my last ski trip, I had a chance to dine at the famous Spago restaurant. The master chef, Wolfgang Puck, teamed up with the award winning Ritz Carlton to open a Colorado ski outpost of his legendary Spago at the Bachelor Gulch resort. Spago continues to set the standard of cuisine, service and style. The mood at night might be casual-sophisticated, chic, edgy and playful ( ladies in hot jeans, fab furs, killer heels, and Uggs; tables of children digging into fries), but the food coming out of the big open kitchen is definitely serious. The menu features Spago's classics from over the years; contemporary American, regional European cuisine with Asian influences in a sophisticated as well as new signature dishes prepared using ingredients from local organic farming. I have to say the food and the service are impeccable. There is a kid-friendly environment and they offer a great menu for them, even Mickey Mouse shaped pizza which my kids love and ordered it almost every time we ate there.

Sear Ahi-tuna salad.

Permaisuri Resort at Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan

2010-07-22T01:19:00.000-07:00

Permaisuri Resort (N2 25.101 E101 51.719) at Port Dickson is located nearby the Blue Lagoon Beach. Our initial plan was Blue Lagoon Beach, but the area was too packed when we reached there. We can't even drive into the parking area. So we had to detour to this nearby Pantai Cermin (Beach).

The resort seems just open not too long ago. Everywhere was clean...the staffs were friendly. We found a nice spot at the private beach and started having our light lunch over there.

During that moment, there were also a big group of visitors having their buffet lunch.

The sand over here was rather reddish compare with other beach we visited before. But the view was just breathtaking! I felt relax while walking at the beach...

On the right

On the left

I cannot understand why the management of the resort allow peoples get into the swimming pool without a swimsuit? That's not the way! It's not hygiene at all and it'll effect other peoples who like to swim...

Funny enough, I saw all adults in the swimming pool were Without a swimsuit! But most of kids have...wondering whether the adult swimsuit is Very expensive here?

Do you notice most of the adults are wearing their shirt?

This cute little girl wearing her swimsuit...

The reception at lobby

The open air restaurant

I'm cruising around the resort...

The food display at the restaurant does not look attractive...prices are reasonable.

The Resort seems like Only cater for local visitor, as I saw from the swimming pool, the restaurant and the reception...most of the staffs cannot speak English...and not much facilities around...

I felt the room rates are slightly high because it's doesn't justify with the service and facilities they have, the Studio Apartment cost MYR250++ per night. The Only reason to stay here is...the resort has a Beautiful Beach!

Poor manage of the rubbish at the beach

The banana boat

Edginess of Black

2010-07-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

Wearing: Rick Owens jacket, Jil Sander over knees boots, F21 dress which I bought so long ago. I'm wearing it for the very first time and also like to wear it backwards for this look.

I don't really like my face expression but I like other elements in this picture. Necklace by Annie Costello Brown.

Zipped up.

A few people have asked me for tips for packing and traveling. I always like to take advantage of mix-and-match clothing as much as I can. Here are some things to think of when you pack clothing for your trip:

What is the country or city that you are going to? Paris, New York, Cancun, Hawaii, Amarillo or some places in deep countryside in Vietnam?
What is the season?
Your trip will be casual or fancy or both?
What are your activities on the trip?
Shoes: I usually bring one comfy pair for walking, one fancy pair for dining out, one pair that you can dress up or dress down. Make sure the shoes you bring can pair with your outfits that you brought along with you.
Make-up: limit things in this area because it could make your bag heavy. Just bring things that you really need such as 1 lipstick, 1 small eye-shadow case, blush, a small sample of foundation., etc...
Skin care : I just bring a small sample of face lotion and eye-cream and face cleanser.

I hope this will help some of you that want to know some tips for packing. It's okay to repeat your outfit on your trip ;-)

Wish you all a joyful weekend with family and friends!!! Thank you for your reading and your comments!! Big hugs...Hanh;-)

PS: click here and here to see more of my styling for this Rick Owens jacket.

Macroview Care Centre at Eden Eco Farm

2010-07-18T01:29:00.000-07:00

The Macroview Care Centre Children Summer Camp continued their activities on the second day to Eden Eco Farm, Saleng - Johor. (Link to the first day evening event)

I was late in the morning to follow them to the farm. When I arrived, I missed the introduction and the farm education for the children conducted by the owner - Mr Steven Lim around the Farm, so I just had a walk alone in the 20 acres farm...

After I visited the whole farm, the children started their 'Water War' at the small field! That was the moment I Love to capture!

Busy filling up the water to their toys

Then they started the Shooting!!
Some were running, shouting, screaming...happy and fun!

Hunting for target...

He was happy that someone Miss it!

I missed? Oh! Let me shoot again!

You must really be careful of this boy, he got the whole bottle of water!

The session last for about an hour then follow by the game organized by teachers...

Everyone was wet! Rule of the game...

After a while, everyone was jumping into the small pool beside the main building of Eden Eco Farm. All the kids love the pool because of the Slide, haha!

The owner of the farm and his employee were taking care of the kids from the slide.

Mr Steven Lim (right) - Owner of Eden Eco Farm of Saleng.

All Night Long in Abaco Island

2010-07-14T01:06:00.000-07:00

Enjoying The Sunset in Abaco Island

Beautiful Night in Abaco island

Enjoying Travel at Night in Abaco island

Abaco

How to Get in Agadez City?

2010-07-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

the legendary mosque Agadez

Saharan hotel in Agadez

Get around Agadez city by a plane

Agadez Travel Guides:
How to Get in Agadez City?

Hi, Guys! if you want the exotic travel destination, so Agadez is the right choice. Agadez is the truly African ensures, all of the Agadez character exactly represent the exoticism of African travel and tourism. There are too many challenges travel wahana in Agadez. Agadez will also bring you to the borderless desert. Because the world widest Sahara is also in Agadez city. It will be the most exotic travel by touring to Agadez city.

Then, how to get in Agadez city? there two main way to get in to Agadez city, by road and by air. Agadez city is lied on the Trans-Sahara Highway that was also known as the Algiers-Lagos Highway. This highway provides access north across the Sahara to Algiers and south to Nigeria with a terminus in Lagos. The Trans-Sahelian (or Dakar-N'Djamena) Highway, bisects the Trans-Saharan Highway about 600km south of Agadez. and it will be there is a bus service to Niamey. Journey to Agadez city by road will give you an exotic adventure. you will feel a desert sensation more close.

While, iif you want to gget in to Agadez by air, you can access the nearest airport. There is an international airport for serving the city, but just only with limited flights. Flights between EU countries and Agadez ceased with the start of the second Tuareg Rebellion in 2007. Thus, the most feasible way of arriving in Agadez by air is to arrive in Niamey. get in to Agadez city will be faster and you can enjoy the exoticisms of the city from the air. its will be a really exciting journey to the real travel destination.

Article Source: www.wikitravel.org

Enjoying City of Spring, Kyushu

2010-07-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

The exotic mountain view in Kyushu

the amazing spring in Kyushu

Kyushu tour and travel

Kyushu Travel Guides 2010:
The Amazing Holiday in Kyushu

Japan is one of the exotic travel destinations in Asia. There are too many exotic cities in Japan. Japan is also seriously to prepare its tourism programme. All of the cities in Japan are prepared for tourists. one of the exotic cities in Japan is Kyushu. Kyushu has many beautiful over views for traveling. here is Kyushu more close.

China Travel and Tourism

2010-07-08T01:32:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Travel Guides 2010

China Travel and Tourism 2010:
Enjoying The Amazing Shanghai

Shanghai is one of the fastest growth cities in the world. Shanghai is becoming a new icon of China. Shanghai now is being same as beautiful as Hong Kong. thus, we suggest you to have traveling to Shanghai. Traveling to Shanghai will give you some enlightments about a modern world. beside that, Shanghai also offers the tourists the absolute satisfaction of touring. The information below is about some details of Shanghai. we hope it will help you before going to Shanghai, China.

the importance of travel insurance

2010-07-06T01:32:00.000-07:00

This Christmas saw heavy snowstorms in the midwest and on the east coast with inclement weather causing many flight delays and cancellations. I can imagine magine the frustration of vacationers whose flights to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Hawaii did not happen. Not only did they lose precious hours and even days of their family vacations, in most cases they had to pay for their unused resort

Night at Port Dickson Beach, Negri Sembilan Travel

2010-07-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

Port Dickson Beach at Night

We had a stop at one of the beach along the Port Dickson Coastal. There were 2 photos I took for sharing...

I took out my tripod, and placed it towards the Port Dickson town. Photo below...

Port Dickson town from far away

I should make use of the Manual Focus rather than Auto Focus! Regretted after I look into the photos...

The next photo was shooting along the beach, which I'm more satisfied compare with the first photo.

The beach was quite crowded that night, I saw some of campers setting up their tent along the beach. It was a nice area to relax...

After hanging around the beach for an hour, we went back to the Resort for rest...that's end our first day at Port Dickson.

Fiddler Crab at Tanjung Piai (Cape) - Johor

2010-07-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

Fiddler Crabs are small but colourful, most of which occur in mangrove or along the shore on mudflats area.
They come in various colour and belong to the family of Ocypodidae, Genus Uca.

Lakeside in Hotel Furian

2010-07-02T01:10:00.000-07:00

Remembering this RO jacket which my hubby chose and bought it for me in Paris one summer during the private sale at RO boutique. I've been wearing it a lot this fall. It's comfy and versatile.

Jet Blue air Port Travel

2010-06-30T01:54:00.000-07:00

Jet Blue air Port Travel

Malacca Butterfly And Reptile Sanctuary in Travel

2010-06-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

The Malacca (Melaka) Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary (N2 17.993 E102 18.692) is located at the right just after the Ayer Keroh Toll Plaza from North South Expressway. They open everyday from 8.30am to 5.30pm. The entrance fee is MYR5.00 for adult and MYR3.00 for children and MYR10.00 (adult) & MYR5.00 (children) for foreign visitor. If you bring your camera, you gonna pay additional MYR3.00.

There were not many visitors on the day when visited this sanctuary. It's quite free to move around...

Once you enter the main entrance, you will see a big cage with Full of Colourful Parrots!

Follow by the souvenir shop...in front of the souvenir shop, there were many reptile...I believe they are belong to the Lizard family...

The entrance to the Butterfly area...

The butterfly park is rather small, and limited butterfly around...I managed to capture some of them...

Colourful butterflies at the Sanctuary

Passed by the butterfly park, we entering a cave called "Insect Area." It was dark, and I didn't manage to snap a good photo beside this one below...The Group of Scorpions.

Exiting the cave, there was a garden with nice landscape...wooden bridge and others...
I like this area...

Exit of the cave...

I can't figure out what so special about this tortoise, because they situated between this garden...maybe you can tell about it?

Visitors enjoying the green environment...

"This Crystal Rock was only discovered on 14th May 2006 at this part of the aviary - approximately 16 years after the park's officially open. Though at it's very beginning of the Crystal life, many believe that the discovery of crystal formation will bring good luck, which we sincerely hope it will spill over to all visitors that come to see it." - from the signage beside the rock.

There are few American Alligators at the right of the Crystal Rock.

American Alligators

We had a rest over here, and I noticed there are many trees have this kind of fruits (below) surround it...

Enjoying The Exotic Agadez

2010-06-29T01:04:00.000-07:00

The Exotic Mosque in Agadez

Colossal metallurgy in Agadez

The exotic desert in Agadez that you can enjoy

Africa Travel Guides:
Enjoying The Exoticism of The Historic City, Agadez

Africa Travel and Tourism

2010-06-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

the legendary mosque Agadez

Get around Agadez city by road

Saharan hotel in Agadez

Get around Agadez city by a plane

Travel to Agadez is Fresh

2010-06-25T04:17:00.000-07:00

night in Agadez

city of Agadez in night

Travel to Agadez:
Enjoying The Beautiful Night

hi, friends! Agadez in night is very exotic and exciting. for you who has a travel to Agadez, the night will be the most exciting moment. because everything will be looked more beautiful and exciting in night at Agadez. before you take a rest in your hotel, villa or resort in Agadez, you must spend your night by taking walks a round the Agadez city.

Traveling to Phi Phi Island

2010-06-23T01:02:00.000-07:00

beautiful beach unite with the exotic sea

diving in to the borderless sea in Phi Phi island

Traveling to Phi Phi Island:
Holding The Truly Beauty of Sea

Hi, Guys! you can enjoy any beauty in Phi Phi island, any beauty of sea world and beaches. Phi Phi island will bring you to the one stop exoticism of traveling. tour to Phi Phi island will give you the absolute satisfaction of traveling. because Phi Phi island offers you the beauty that you never see before.

you can only enjoy the absolute beauty of its sea or you can dive deep in to the deep blue sea. the exotic beach in Phi Phi island will also increase your spirit in life. graceful palm trees are also available in Phi Phi island. you can around the beach and sea by boats, traditional ship even by plane.

Dali museum Spain

2010-06-21T01:13:00.000-07:00

An hour north of Barcelona is the village of Figueres, Spain. We spent an afternoon there during our trip to Spain (after spending the morning in Gerona). Pictured above is the home of surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, right next door to the Dalí Theatre-Museum.Built in the former Figueres Theatre, the town asked Dalí to design a museum commemorating his own work. The museum itself has been

Travel to Beauty Shanghai at Night

2010-06-19T01:27:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Pudong, the exciting travel destination

enjoying tour to Shanghai at night

Night holiday in Shanghai, China

the miracle of traveling to Shanghai at night

Shanghai Tourism

2010-06-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Festival

Great hotel in Shanghai for your enjoyful traveling

luxury accomodation for your stay in Shanghai

Natural Hotel and Villa in Umbria, Italy Travel

2010-06-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

Beautiful hotel and villa in Umbria, Italy

Dei Donini resort in Umbria, Italy

resort and spa in Umbria, Italy

Umbria Trip Advisory 2010
Natural Hotel and Villa in Umbria, Italy

Hi, Guys! there are many beautiful hotels, villas, resorts and spa in Umbria, Italy to be stayed. you should be no worry not to get a representative places to be stayed. here are the names of hotels, villas and resorts near Umbria, Italy.

Hotel Terme San Faustino, it is called as the Hill of Well-Being, this hotel offers the tralatitious hospitality of our realty unitedly with new, modern services thus assuring our guests a warm and professional welcome.

Hotel Igo, it is a naif oasis just 1,5 Km from the municipality centre of Perugina. The hotel Ilgo is the best solution for everybody who, on vacation or business travel, wants to pay some relaxing time close to Perugia. The home surround has been the change mark of our hotel for over fifteen years.

Hotel Kursaal, it is a magical villa with tract placed on the rivers of Trasimeno Lake. The saint place to relax swimming in its wonderful pool and sunbathing in solarium or on the private beach.It offers home made products such as cakes for breakfast and typical Umbrian food in the restaurant. Its geografic position favors Umbria and Toscany discovery.

Hotel La Macchia, this hotel is a small family-owned hotel located at only 2 km from Spoleto in a quiet and noiseless position. It has 11 comfortable rooms and a characteristic restaurant where it is possible to taste the enlarge dishes of the ancient Umbria gastronomy.

Hotel Umbria, this hotel is a modern and comfortable structure rattling close to the important Italian roads: an saint starting saucer for tourism in Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio.

Those are the names of hotels and resorts near Umbria, Italy that you can stayed. by staying those hotel, you will get more staisfactions of traveling in Umbria. you travel to Umbria will be the exciting moment. you can also enjoy the beauty of Umbria inside your hotel.

article source, www.bellaumbria.net

Breakfast at Travel Home

2010-06-13T01:56:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at Home

Hahaha....just playing dress-up and having some fun on a lazy afternoon at home with my hubby and kids.

Oliver Peoples sunglasses, Vera Wang necklace, Aldo ring, Alaia dress, Ysl pumps...Lol!!!

Traveling in Home

Salto San Martin On Iguazu : Argentina Travel

2010-06-11T01:01:00.000-07:00

I continue to present you the photos of the falls on Iguazu river in Argentine. The first 2 posts,
The Power Of Attraction Of Waterfalls
Devil's Throat in Iguazu Falls,
were about the biggest of them and general information. This time I will tell you about an other of the falls, salto San Martin.

By the way, I forgot about the map. The National park of the Iguazu river is situated on the highest part of the "horn" of the top, right side. I just said you, the park had excellent organization for the tourists. You can not only walk near and over the river. There is a possibility to near the falls on the boats too. If you like this sort of experiences, you have to visit them in summer, I think. Except this, it's possible to practice water sports and climbing.

If you are interested to know everything about existing waterfalls, you can open "World Waterfall Database". There you will find the langest falls "complex" is on Mekong River in Laos (10 km contro 2,7 of Iguazu) and the highest seems to be Salto Angel in Venezuela (979 m contro 80 of Iguazu).

Tanjung Piai of Johor Travel

2010-06-09T01:23:00.000-07:00

"Tanjung Piai (Piai Cape) is also known as “The Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia”. Tanjung Piai is named after this fern locally known as ‘Paku Piai’. It is a type of fern that can live in saline conditions. Tanjung Piai is also home to many species of mangrove plants and species of animals. Tanjung Piai State Park (Ref: 1289) wetland designated on 31/01/03; 526 ha; 01°16′N 103°31′E is a State Park consisting of coastal mangroves and intertidal mudflats."
"According to Wetlands International, Johor holds 28.7% of mangrove forest in Peninsular Malaysia (27,733 ha) or 4.7% of total mangrove forest cover in Malaysia. Tanjung Piai covers 526 hectares of Mangroves and another 400 hectares of inter tidal mudflats. Mudflats are soft and muddy soil. It has high salt content and low oxygen levels (anaerobic). However, they are subject to hot and dry conditions." Info source : Johor National Park

I would like to break to 4 parts on our visit to Tanjung Piai (N1°16.095' E103°30.522'). Every part is different trail from the picture below. This post is the first part...

The four trail into four part

On one of the Sunday morning, me and a fellow blogger Ben were having a photography trip to the Southern Most Tip of Mainland Asia - Tanjung Piai. The journey took about almost 2 hours drive form Johor Bahru to the National Park. We reached there around 12:30pm...

The first wooden bridge after the parking

The entrance fee is MYR5.00 for Malaysian and MYR10.00 for foreign visitor. Car parking fee is MYR3.00 per car.

The Location map of the National Park

After the shooting the surrounding, we proceed to the entrance of the park.

Not many visitor around when we were there. So it was quite free to move around...before we start on the trail, you can read the information and what are the activities in park around the main office.

If you are smoker, Please take note!

We decided to take the left trail first, that was the trail lead you to the TIP. The trail is 653 meter from this point...Wah! To reach the TIP and walk back will be more than a Kilometer! That was a good exercise for us!

There is a Fishing Jetty nearby the TIP, but we skipped! Because we had to finish total of 4 trail around the national park.
Along the way, I felt peaceful and calm...I Love the greenery surround us!

My eyes were busy looking around and my hands was busy pressing the shuttle of my camera! haha!

Mangrove area also capture rubbish naturally, as you can read from my Kukup Island post. Beside the green of the plant both side, you will see many Rubbish being capture by the Mangrove too!

Along the trail, you can have a rest by this small area. There are many of them...

Once you reach the junction, on your left is going to the fishing jetty and on your right is the last path to the Southern Most Tip of The Mainland Asia!

The trail is towards the sea

The platform area at the TIP

Ben was busy snapping around

Do you see anything?

There is a platform where you can enjoy the scenic view at the tip. It's windy all the time, there are some words that told you have reach the TIP.

The sea traffic is very busy everyday over here, do you notice it at the background?

The pillar below maybe standby for the expansion of the platform...

Holiday Season in Travel

2010-06-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

When Christmas arrives the Nutcracker is a classic show for the family. My kids' school has the Nutcracker every year performed by kindergarten. This year is my little girl's turn. The performance was yesterday and it's beautiful. The kids were excited and they did a wonderful job. The Nutcracker truly brings you a cheerful, joyful of holiday feeling. Here are some pictures that taking on stage at the school.

She was a sugarplum fairy, which is the part she dreamed of being.

My big girl was attending the Nutcracker at her ballet school and she enjoyed her part being a mouse. The pictures were in back stage, unfortunately we wouldn't allow to take picture during performance.

We had our photo shoot for the kids and their puppies for our family Christmas card. Here are some pictures.

Luna, a toy poodle, was a model for testing lighting.

The Exotic Earth Unite in Umbria

2010-06-03T01:47:00.000-07:00

great sightseeing inside the pool in Umbria

get your satisfactions of traveling in Umbria

The Amazing Sky and The Exotic Earth Unite in Umbria

as we told you in the post before that Umbria is the small region in italy, but it is very very exotic and interesting as the travel destination. you will get more satisfactions by touring around Umbria. you can look at the pictures, those are another exoticism of Umbria. you can enjoy it as your travel destination, even you will get more and more by going there directly.

Traveling to Phi Phi Island

2010-06-01T01:02:00.000-07:00

beautiful beach unite with the exotic sea

diving in to the borderless sea in Phi Phi island

The Power Of Attraction Of Waterfalls Travel

2010-05-30T02:10:00.000-07:00

In my previous post Devil's Throat in Iguazu Falls I began to tell you about the waterfalls on the river Iguazu in Argentina (and Brazil).

When I read about this trip of a friend of my husband, I thought, the humans surely are attracted by great water and falling water. Turn back to read about my trip to the Cascades of Emerald Valley I described in a serie of posts a year ago. You can see the long and breathtaking bridges that connect different levels and places where you can enjoy the entire complex. A guide told us these places are full of tourists all summer. They come there to stay days and days in the "plates" of water under every waterfall.

Now, I see similar constructions on the photos here. Imagine, they have to be longer and more numerous as those of that little waterfalls in Caucasus (but not so romantic sure). I did not understand if it's possible to swimm under Iguazu falls too. Well, they are so large and high... Probably not. It would be dangerous, I think.

In any case you see there are crowds of tourists.
Who knows, maybe humans, like elefants, have acquatic ancestors too...

the second Machu Picchu is Enjoy Travel

2010-05-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Good day fellow travelers – It has been a while since we met and I thought I’d write something up on a recent return trip my wife Karin and I undertook to Kuelap, and how traveling to these amazing Northern ruins has become a lot easier over the past ten years.

My first trip to Kuelap was a ten years ago and was none to easy, but if you’ve spent some time traveling you’ll agree that on some occasions, the harder a place is to get to - the more worthwhile it is once you get there.

The beauty of Kuelap far outweighed the hardships of getting there, and so it was with very little hesitation and a lot of excitement that Karin and I set off once more to return to Peru’s secret ruins. Ten years ago I was fascinated by the enchanting ruins of Kuelap – described by many as a second Machu Picchu – and ever since then I have been eagerly trying to getting myself back there. Well, I was in Peru recently with Karin, and with some spare time on our hands we set off once more for what would be an inspiring trip up north.

Surprisingly few tourists make it to Chachapoyas which I find remarkable; not only is it close to the ruins of Kuelap and a number of other attractions in the area, but over the years it has become increasingly more accessible to reach. It’s a laidback town, one of the most scenic in Peru, and perhaps one of my favorites. Outside the hotel a local kid proudly tells me that Chachapoyas means ‘Misty Mountain’ and that Chachapoyans are all ‘Cloud Warriors’. And who am I to disagree? - Clouds float through the town at eye level, and while the townsfolk seem too friendly and laidback to ever be warriors – they are said to be descendants of the Chacha culture that built Kuelap and warred with the Incas.

Nowadays private tours run daily to Kuelap from Chachapoyas leaving at about 8am and returning at about 4 or 5pm the same day. This doesn’t mean there are hordes of tourists visiting – on the contrary there are very few indeed. What it does mean is that one doesn’t have to spend 3 days waiting to get to the ruins as I had to ten years ago.
Even though Kuelap is only 27km from Chachapoyas (as the crow flies) – the drive there today can take up to three hours. It’s a rough drive it must be said that it scarcely compares to the hardships I went through in getting there the last time. On my first trip I was assigned to the rattling back seat of a collectivo (a minivan) with a couple of chickens and a collection of rusty farming implements for no less than seven hours. This time around I got to enjoy the stunning views over the canyons and ravines on the way there from a comfortable car seat, and we even stopped in one of the local villages to enjoy a fantastic Chacha lunch on the way back.

Ten years ago I finally arrived in Kuelap after taking a 14 hour bus ride to Chiclayo, an 11 hour bus ride to Chachapoyas, a hellish 7 hour ride in the back of a collectivo, and a half an hour steep hike. Minutes before I set my eyes on Kuelap I wondered whether it would all be worth

Phuket Views at Night

2010-05-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

Phuket at Night 1

Phuket at Night 2

Phuket at Night 3

Pictures Phuket Views at Night

The Exotic Phuket Beach

2010-05-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

Phuket beach (1)

Phuket beach (2)

Phuket beach (3)

Pictures The Exotic Phuket Beach

The Kingdom Of Jogjakarta-Indonesia Travel

2010-05-22T01:54:00.000-07:00

Tamansari Swiming Pool

Prambanan

Merapi Mountain

The Kingdom Of Jogjakarta

Yogyakarta (some people call it Jogja, Jogjakarta, or Yogya) is a city with outstanding historical and cultural heritage. Yogyakarta was the centre of the Mataram Dynasty (1575-1640), and until now the kraton (the sultan's palace) exists in its real functions. Also, Yogyakarta has numerous thousand-year-old temples as inheritances of the great ancient kingdoms, such as Borobudur temple established in the ninth century by the dynasty of Syailendra.

The Colosseum of Rome travel

2010-05-20T02:13:00.000-07:00

The Colosseum of Rome 1

The Colosseum of Rome 2

The Colosseum is probably the most impressive building of the Roman empire. Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it was the largest building of the era.

The monumental structure has fallen into ruins, but even today it is an imposing and beautiful sight.

Matilde Talks about the Inca Trail- travel

2010-05-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

Matilde talks about the Inca Trail

As ancient as the mysterious ruins that lay at its end, the Inca Trail was originally created as a passage for the high priests and Inca royalty between Cusco and Machu Picchu. I suppose I was a little apprehensive and yes – slightly intrepid – upon arriving at the start of the Inca Trail for the first time. The flashy backpacks, outfits, experienced guides, and the seemingly endless mountain path that stretched out before me, all made me wonder whether I’d been foolish to think I’d be able to finish the trail. It was however exciting; and with low cloud cover and something electric in the air, we set off for what would be a four day trek to the lost citadel of Machu Picchu.

The trail begins harmlessly enough, and with high spirits you pass along the shores of the mighty Urubamba River before the rough Andean landscape slowly gives way to a progressively more jungle-like environment. Inca Ruins mark the way, and as the trail continues these ruins increase in frequency, size, and what I like to refer to as ‘jaw slackening wonder’. While a lot of bonding is done with the group both on the trail and in the campsites, I also found it to be a deeply spiritual experience where I was able to set my own pace and get in touch with myself.

It isn’t that easy either, but on the morning of the fourth day on the trail we rose early in order to arrive at Machu Picchu a little before sunrise. As an early morning bright-orange-sun rose above a misty Machu Picchu, tears quite literally filled my eyes. Neither words nor photographs will ever be able to capture the beauty of that site and the wonder of that moment. It is simply extraordinarily. And I had done it; the hard work, dirt and sweat were all worth it. I was on top of the world looking down on one of her more awesome sights. I knew then that not only was I able to complete the Inca trail, but that I would quite likely be there to complete it again soon.

Information on the Inca Trail

If you’re interested in doing the Inca trail then one should make reservations at least two months in advance as the Peruvian government only permits 500 people to head out on the trail daily. The best time to visit the area – and undertake the trail is between April and November as there is far less rain during this period. If however, you don’t mind a bit of rain and enjoy a little more solitude during your hike then you may prefer to undertake the trail outside of this period. For more information on the trail and other hikes in the area you can visit – http://www.cat-travel.com/peru_tour_inca_trail.asp.

Bali Terasering, Land of Angels Travel

2010-05-15T01:13:00.000-07:00

Night life in Bali starts late, which means around midnight. Many visitors wonder where crowds of expats suddenly come from around 1:00 in the morning – even when all of Kuta has been very quiet during the whole evening, the IN-places often become crowded after midnight.

There's a simple explanation: during the early evenings many of Bali's night owls either still work, visit friends at home, or simply sleep. Most of them visit pubs, bars, or discos only in the early morning hours. Therefore, if you plan a night out don't start your dinner too early. Between 9:00 p.m. and midnight there are not many places we can recommend.

Visitors looking for company don't need to worry. Wherever you go in Sanur and the Kuta area, there are many other single travellers with the same problem around – day and night. In Bali's discos you'll meet also many "kupu kupu malams" ("night butterflies" or working girls) and young boys who compete with the females and service all sexes. All taxi drivers know the more popular karaoke bars and massage parlours in Kuta and Denpasar, and the various "Houses of ill Repute" in Sanur's narrow back lanes.

As reported in the BALI travel FORUM: "Prostitution is illegal in Bali. However, like in many countries, everyone turns a blind eye. Many girls can be found in nightclubs and bars in most areas. They look usually just like the girl next door, albeit with a bit more make up on, and they usually dress to please the eye. For the most part, they are gentle, easy to be with, and a lot of fun if you want to dance, drink and have a little fun with. Most will be yours for the whole night for about 300,000 Rupiah although prices range from 100,000 Rupiah to 1,000,000 Rupiah and more – depending on the season, the time of night, the situation and the quality of service".

The Amazing Koh Samui Travel

2010-05-13T01:39:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Koh Samui

The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula^[1] and Southern China. It appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687, under the name Pulo Cornam. The name Samui is mysterious in itself. Perhaps it is an extension of the name of one of the native trees, mui, or it is a corruption of the Chinese word Saboey, meaning "safe haven". Koh is the Thai word for "island."

The Old Kuta Beach Travel

2010-05-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Is Beauty Beach Travel

The Holiday Travel Guide is cool

2010-05-09T01:44:00.000-07:00

Travel is fast becoming one of the most popular pastimes in the UK with millions of people travelling to new and exciting destinations every year. We have put together the ultimate travel guide for you and your friends and how you can get the best deals possible when it comes to cheap travel, discount holidays, cheap travel insurance, discount air fares, cheap tickets and lots more.

Most of the tourists head towards Europe. The reason is Europe as a whole has an assembly of rich history, culture and architectural marvels. One of the nations that is most visited by tourists is Italy. This is closely followed by UK and France. Italy is famous for its castles and forts. Venice is visited for its Gondolas. There are wonderful beaches and the climate is pleasant. France is the next destination which has many churches and museums. The French are lively and hospitable at heart. When you are in Europe, you can actually feel the magical charm of the past eras. The fairy tales and sound of music uncurl before you. Austria is more beautiful than Switzerland. It houses one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Each and every country in European continent has tale of its own to narrate to the visitors. These are awe- inspiring and mesmerizing and unforgettable moments in one’s life.

North America is huge continent. They have pleasant climate and a wide collection of modern architectural marvel to offer. Sunny beaches and friendly people inspire the tourists. Places that are most often visited by tourist include Hawaii, Las Vegas, Florida, Georgia, California, and New York, Texas and so on.

Enjoy The Amazing Travel to Umbria, Italy

2010-05-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

enjoying lazuardi in Umbria, Italy

great sightseeing inside the pool in Umbria

get your satisfactions of traveling in Umbria

Italy Travel and Tourism :
The Amazing Sky and The Exotic Earth Unite in Umbria

as we told you in the post before that Umbria is the small region in italy, but it is very very exotic and interesting as the travel destination. you will get more satisfactions by touring around Umbria. you can look at the pictures, those are another exoticism of Umbria. you can enjoy it as your travel destination, even you will get more and more by going there directly.

Brief history of Italy Travel

2010-05-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Italy is a long and narrow peninsula in the south of Europe, surrounded on three sides by sea, with the ancient city of Rome near its center. From about 44 BC until 450 AD the Roman Empire dominated Western Europe and North Africa. The advanced Roman armies conquored and passed its culture and civilization to the simpler tribes of Europe. After the fall of the empire, the Lombards, a Germanic tribe, invaded the peninsula and established a kingdom with its base in the north. To this day, many Northern Italians have Germanic features, different than their fellow countrymen in the south.

In the Middle Ages Spain dominated much of the Italian peninsula. Then control of much of the peninsula was taken by the Hapsburgs of Austria until 1859.

Italy became a unified country only on March 17, 1861. Before this time the Italian peninsula was dominated by various kingdoms. For example, the southern peninsula was called the Kingdom of Two Sicilies until it was conquored by the Kingdom of Sardinia and the entire Italian Peninsula unified into the Kingdom of Italy, with the capital city Turin. Later the capital was moved to Florence and finally to Rome.

After World War I and the collapse of Austria, Italy was allowed to expand its borders north and take control of South Tyrol, a German speaking area. This area is still mostly German speaking and still part of Italy today.

From 1923-1943 Mussolini ruled Italy as Prime Minister and dictator. He led Italy into World War II in alliance with Hitler. After being invaded by the allies, Italy surrendered. In 1946 the last Italian Monarch went into exile and Italy officially became a republic.

World-War II left the country very poor. Italians emigrated in large numbers to the the US and Northern Europe. Italy was a large beneficiary of the Marshall Plan, a US funded plan to rebuild post-war Europe. The money helped Italy to have an economic rebirth, though some parts developed differently than others. The north of Italy is the industrial driver with the south being strong in agriculture. These days, Italy is a financial powerhouse in Europe with the fourth largest economy, although the average wealth per person (per capita GDP) is less than that of UK, France and Germany.

Source by : http://www.travelswise.com

Footprint Peru Hand Book Travell

2010-05-01T01:06:00.000-07:00

Footprint Peru Handbook is original in its kind as it focuses on information and not storytelling.

It has more up-to-date info on the things you actually need in day-to-day travel, most of it presented in a factual way rather than using endless pages of interesting but not-really-necessary info.

From a tour operator point of view, I need to know as many facts as possible in order to prepare, quote and carry out the tours we offer to our public. The Handbook is a great source of information in this area, as I don't have to read around the stories, but get the facts presented in a direct way. Due to the inclusion of much better maps and a very serious work at updating the info accurately, the latest edition is a big improvement, and one of best single guides on Peru currently available.

If you decide to visit the awesome Manu Reserve in the Amazon Jungle, fly over the mysterious Nazca lines, or If you hike the Inca Trail on your way to Machu Picchu, this guide is a must as you'll find all the data you need.

As a matter of fact, if you decide you're going tojust Cusco, I'd advice to get this guide instead of a Cusco-only one. You'll find all you need in Footprint Peru Handbook for sure.

luxury tropical resorts travel

2010-04-27T03:52:00.000-07:00

Winter is upon us with a vengeance, and parts of the country are already enduring frigid temperatures and driving snowstorms. Even here in Berkeley, California where I live, this week has seen unseasonably cold temperatures with a slight accumulation of snow on Monday and temperatures in the 30's. It's enough to make a winter-weary traveler start thinking about warm-weather getaways to luxury

Discovering Puduhepa And Nefertari in travel

2010-04-25T00:09:00.000-07:00

Wishing you all the best in the new year, I want to tell about an interesting place to visit "before you die" as suggest the widget for travellers. This place is connected with the feasts because I tell you about the capital of a very powerful kingdom mentioned in the Bible. I tell you about hittites and their capital Hattusa.

If you read the romance about Ramesses II and his battle against the hittits (near Qadesh 1274 BC) -you understand, what are we telling about here. So, the place to visit is in Turkey.

There are special tours when you can visit all the places connected with the history of hittites Empire. GAZIANTEP - URFA - ADIYAMAN-NEMRUT - ANTIOCHIA -MERSIN - SILIFKE - KONYA -CAPPADOCIA - HATTUSAS

Visit In Paris Travel

2010-04-23T01:08:00.000-07:00

There are tombs of many important and famous persons there. What you see on the photo from Wikipedia is the tomb of one of the most famous Franch composers, Georges Bizet.

This cemetery is one of the most known in the world. The list of the celebrities burried here would be probably longer as this blog. Bizet is maybe not the greatest among them, and if you want to go there, you have to collect all the necessary information whom you want to visit.

I don't know, if ther are many other places in Parigi dedicated to this unfortunate in the life person. So many composers of genius had not luck and happiness in their lives. At least we have his tomb to thank him for his music.

"Fantastic Bangkok" a Bangkok Travel

2010-04-21T00:31:00.001-07:00

While it can get a little hot and sticky, there's a lot to see and do in Bangkok - great shopping, and plenty of culture. Although there are a few potential pitfalls for the unwary, avoid them and you'll have a great time.

Incidentally, Bangkok is the "English" name for this city - the Thai name is Krung Thep - or "City of Angels". That's the short form of the name - I found a great page describing the full name and what it means at www.into-asia.com.

Another website that I'd recommend is the excellent Thailand Guidebook. Written by a local, and definitely a good read.

If you're interested in keeping track of the rapid pace of city development that's going on in Bangkok then the great 2bangkok.com site is somewhere you should visit, too. Frequently updated, and it also has plenty of stories you may not see elsewhere.

There were lots of construction and renovation projects ongoing in Bangkok in 2005 - so it looks like 2006 is going to be a year of grand openings...

Peru Tours List is Enjoy

2010-04-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

CAT Peru tours take you the length and breadth of this incredible country from the Andes to the Amazon. Perhaps the world's most dreamt about travel destination, Peru is an epic country of diverse habitats, awe-inspiring landscapes and an amazing history of empires won and lost. Class Adventure Travel’s luxury Peru tours offer you the opportunity to explore the country in style. Whether you’re visiting the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, trekking through the high Andes, adventuring into the Amazon jungle or taking a speedboat tour of Lake Titicaca’s floating islands, this astounding country is sure to enthrall.

A short trip to Brazil Travel

2010-04-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

Long time no news. It has been a busy year, what with launching our brand new budget adventure travel website South America Adventure Travel just last week. I’ve not really had the time to write much, let alone travel…

But, last week I finally got a chance to escape and went to Brazil for 6 days to join my long time friends from Germany, Gerd and Christel. They had been to Galapagos the week before (on the Nemo II, an excellent Catamaran for those who like to travel in style without losing the sporty element of being out on the open seas). They arrived at Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport about 3.5 hours before me and took a day-room in the Caesar Park Hotel just 5 minutes from the Airport, to relax a bit after the night-long journey from Guayaquil.

Belarus Travel Guide is enjoy

2010-04-16T01:52:00.000-07:00

Belarus travel can be a wonderful experience. Belarus is rich in culture and history, relatively inexpensive and not yet over-run by tourists. However, because English is not common and information is not widely available, Belarus travel can be challenging for the first-time visitor. This Belarus Travel Guide goes into depth to give Belarus travelers much of the information necessary to get here and get as much from the visit as possible. The pages of this Belarus Travel Guide offer information about visas, accomodation, sightseeing and transportation for Minsk and the rest of Belarus. On the bottom of each page of the Belarus Travel Guide you will find a comment box. Your suggestions will help us to develop the Belarus travel guide to be an important source of travel information for Belarus travel. Arriving in Belarus

Belarus travel allows you to experience a different world. Belarus still clings to the Soviet past and has a very different atmosphere compared with neighboring countries, such Lithuania. In fact, a trip to both Lithuania and Belarus, two ex-soviet states and very close neighbors, is a remarkable experience. Lithuania has rapidly become very Western-oriented while Belarus is still very much Eastern-oriented and you feel the difference instantly. (The contents of this website are copyrighted by TravelsWise.com, the Europe Travel Guide).

Clearing customs and the border to Belarus can be stressful, but foreigners usually have an advantage: Belarusian boarder guards rarely speak English. Most of the time, they look quickly at your passport and leave you in peace. Checking into your hotel may be unpleasant. You may not feel the warm welcome you would expect at a hotel reception desk. Don’t take it as a sign that you are not welcome. Most hotels in Belarus are state owned and customer satisfaction is not the priority on their minds. However, enter a restaurant and the attitude is very different.You will be welcomed at the typical restaurant and treated with a high level of service. Why the difference? Most restaurants are privately owned and their survival depends on customer satisfaction.

http://www.travelswise.com

Jewelery at Pearl Market Travel

2010-04-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Name Pearl Market is somehow misleading. This big market offers everything, from pocket knifes, copy watches, sports wear, bags, shoes to actual jewelry.

It is somehow chaotic – but so is every market in China (the ones locals visit are even harder to pick through). On ground floor you can find some electronics, basic photo equipment, copy watches and other small stuff (pocket knives, thermos for tea…). On second floor they have shoes, women’s and men’s clothes, bags and some sporting goods.

ALASKA - America's Greatest Salmon Fishing in travel

2010-04-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

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Rocky River Lodge is located across Kachemak Bay in the wilderness mountains of Port Graham, Alaska. Our fishing is most unique because its location is not accessible by the general public as our private land borders the rivers and ocean and so its two rivers, Rocky and Windy are open for fishng to fishermen lodging with Rocky River Lodge and residents of Port Graham, who live some 26 miles away. With the incredible overcrowding the peninsula waters experience throughout the summer, this fishing opportunity is priceless..

From the Gulf of Alaska the annual spawn of Chum (Dog), Humpback (Pink) and Coho (Silver) Salmon and Dolly Varden (Char) into Rocky and Windy Rivers begin in July and continue well into and past September. With the spawns overlapping, you can often enjoy catching two species or more during your trip throughout the season. With every high tide fresh fish will enter the rivers to spawn and the fish already there will continue up river which will provide you countless opportunities and locations to catch fish.

Just think, no shoulder to shoulder fishing, no boats, no civilization and no rushing - just pure unadulterated wilderness! Equally important, there is never any hustle in your stay at Rocky River Lodge. We prefer that the guests set the tempo for the day when it comes to fishing, meals and relaxation. If fantastic fishing, wilderness lodging, wildlife, scenery, privacy and silence, yes silence , are important to you Rocky River Lodge can and will fulfill your Alaskan trip expectations. Join us this coming season for the greatest trip ever!.

Travel Gear: is cool

2010-04-10T02:55:00.000-07:00

Travel writers' evaluation

Practical Travel Gear published a short list of the best and worst travel items for 2009. There were, of course, good suggestions for tote bags, clothing and miscellaneous accessories, and some on the "worst" list that made me laugh out loud. Contributor John Gordon wrote, "Some things I just don’t understand, like Planesheets for covering airline seats. Besides the dubious claims of cleanliness, I’d just feel a little weird being the only passenger on the plane sitting in a zebra-stripe seat." I've got to agree on that one, though in this age of swine-flu fear, I suppose there are travelers who feel more protected by temporarily slip-covering their airplane seat in washable or disposable covers -- butt-ugly as some of them are.

Nikki Beach Pitures

2010-04-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

Nikki Beach Pitures

Bebaru Trail of Piai Cape (Tanjung) In travel

2010-04-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

There are two campsite situated site-by-site. Both are having the same facilities. Honestly, I love the campsite area. Where all the greenery surrounding...
Each of the tent area are separate, you can view from the photos below.

The Only worry I have is the 'Monkey'! They might attack the foods you bring during the night time! Other than this...it's really good Campsite!

The entrance of the campsite

The trail into the campsite

Gardens In The Muslim Culture in pictures

2010-04-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

Laguna Condo Resort at Port Dickson is enjoy travel

2010-03-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

Laguna Condo Resort is your key to a world of rich Malaysian experiences. Strategically located in Port Dickson, one of the country's most unique tourist destinations, Laguna Condo Resort gives you easy access to a wide spectrum of activities from the adrenaline-pumping action of rafting, absailing, fishing, jungle trekking, camping, canoing and jet-skiing to the more relaxed day trips to historical sites and animal farms.

Travel in New Rusia

2010-03-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union visitors have a fresh opportunity to explore a vast array of exciting and ancient cultures, from the glittering imperial Russia of St. Petersburg to the timeless village life of Siberia and Irkutsk. One of the most notable features of present day Russia is a renewed celebration of the wealth of its past and its potential for the future. Throwing off the blanket of communist uniformity, Russia today is a nation of enormous diversity and tremendous vitality. It is as if the cultural traditions of a century ago have re-awakened with a newfound strength - ancient cathedrals are being rebuilt and restored, colorful markets hum with activity once again and literature and the arts are quickly regaining the creative renown they enjoyed decades ago. A new Russia is now in full bloom.

For most westerners, Russia is associated with its European cities--Moscow, St. Petersburg and Murmansk. This is the heartland of Imperial Russia, and these great and ancient cities often become the focus for most tourists. However there is much more to Russia, a country that spans eleven time zones and two continents, ending less than 50 miles from North America. Within this vast expanse lie the largest freshwater lake in the world, rivers and forests teeming with fish and wildlife, awe inspiring volcanos, and towering mountains. Russia is the largest country on earth, with enormous tracts of land that have been opened to travellers only in the last few years.

Just as Russia's rich cultural heritage has once more come to life, its natural heritage too is a new country waiting to be discovered.

Travel wallpaper in Italy..

2010-03-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

Travel wallpaper in Italy..

pictures in Australia Travel

2010-03-25T01:59:00.000-07:00

Pictures In Australia

Bloomington, Illinois in travell

2010-03-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

Bloomington is a growing midwestern town (population 75,000) in central Illinois, home to Illinois Wesleyan University and State Farm Insurance, among other notable institutions. We're in a midst of a Christmas visit with family. Where to stay in Bloomington-Normal? While there are the usual cookie-cutter motel chains near the airport, I enjoy the homeliness and intimacy of an excellent B&B when

Austin-Lehman Adventures Supports National Parks

2010-03-22T01:26:00.000-07:00

Glacier National Park, celebrating centennial in 2010, is first beneficiary

“Preserve a Park” is a new conservation and educational initiative by Austin-Lehman Adveventures, an award-winning tour opeator. It will benefit a different national park each year via financial contributions to an organization that supports that park, while featuring an educational experience for guests who book one of the company’s “Preserve a Park” trips.

The first beneficiary is Glacier National Park, celebrating its centennial in 2010. This year, ALA will donate $100 per guest from each Glacier trip to the Glacier National Park Fund, a not-for-profit that supports the ongoing and future preservation of Glacier National Park’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. Austin-Lehman Adventures is offering three six-day five-night trips to Glacier : August 1-6, August 8-13, and August 15-20; price per person is $2,498.

Coupled with adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, Glacier is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the world's designated Peace Park. Glacier National Park was known to Native Americans as the “Backbone of the World.” Today, even though the namesake glaciers themselves are rapidly shrinking, the park preserves more than one million acres of stunning glacier-carved terrain that encompasses old growth forest, alpine lakes, rugged mountains and sweeping meadows of wildflowers. Highlights of park trips include biking, hiking and rafting both less traveled and most famous routes. These include the celebrated Going-to-the-Sun Road, one of North America’s most scenic roads and an 11-year building feat.

ALA has built an international reputation for small group active travel to destinations in North, Central and South America, Europe and southern Africa. The company specializes in adult and family multi-sport, hiking, biking vacations that emphasize history, culture, and geography’s natural beauty. Trips are limited to 12 guests (18 on family departures) and feature excellent regional dining, distinctive accommodations and all-inclusive rates and services.

I have visited Glacier National Park three times -- always in winter and always on cross-country skis. I've nibbled at the fringes of the huge park both from the west side of the park and from the Izaak Walton Inn on the south side, including traveling there to by train to Amtrak's last flag stop in West Essex, Montana. I've seen a bit of park that way and also not seen it at all, when the snow was swirling. Summer pictures are tantalizing, and I applaud the company for supporting the organization that supports the protection of Glacier and other parks in the future.

Lake titicaca travel

2010-03-20T01:41:00.000-07:00

If traveling to the region it is highly recommendable that one spends an evening on either of the Islands of Suasi, Amantani, or Taquile.

Just Back from Patagonia in travel

2010-03-20T01:17:00.000-07:00

Just Back from Patagonia in travel best for refeshing

Latin American Travel in article

2010-03-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

Solo Female Travel in Latin America - Safety Tips For Women :

A common question seen on many travel forums is "how safe is it to travel to X (one on the Latin American countries) as a solo female traveller?" It is fully understandable why travelling alone to Latin America can seem an intimidating prospect, particularly if you are a woman. However, women who have already been to this region of the world know there is no need to post this type of question. All of the countries in Central and South America are generally safe to visit as a solo female traveller. There are, however, some areas that pose a risk and these should be avoided.

Many of the large cities in Latin America have areas that aren't particularly desirable and you should stick to the main tourist or modern parts of these cities if you visit them. This includes all of the major cities in Central America (i.e. Belize City, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, Panama City, San Jose, San Salvador and Tegucigalpa). There are also certain parts of South American cities that should be avoided such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Sao Paulo in Brazil, and Caracas in Venezuela. As with the large cities in Central America, stick to the touristy areas and you'll be fine. You should also take care when visiting particular areas of certain countries such as in Colombia and Venezuela. For example, it isn't a good idea to hang around the border regions of Colombia or travel to obscure, off the beaten track destinations. Although Colombia and Venezuela get some bad press they are both relatively safe to visit if you stick to the top tourist destinations mentioned in reputable travel guides. If somewhere is mentioned in a reputable guidebook, it is almost certainly safe to visit.

This leads to an important point in the discussion. It is very easy to get paranoid about visiting certain countries and cities but this is totally unwarranted. Remember, it's only certain parts of these countries and cities that are best avoided, just as certain parts of cities in Europe or North America are best avoided. In fact, travelling around most of Latin America is far safer, and more pleasant, than travelling around many parts of Europe or North America. Additionally, as Susan Griffith rightly points out in 'Travelling Solo as a Woman in Asia' "there is a pernicious mythology surrounding the lone female traveller, whether it be as a hitchhiker around Britain or a traveller in Southeast Asia. Many people instantly exaggerate the perils and dwell on a single woman's vulnerability. Often this doom-ridden response is just an excuse for their own timidity of spirit." Don't get paranoid: the countries of Latin America are no more dangerous than many other countries in this world, and in reality you are more likely to encounter problems in some European countries or North American states.

Referring back to the classic question seen on travel forums (i.e. how safe is it to travel to X as a solo female traveller) it is worth mentioning the responsibilities and abilities of the individual. Safety is inherently linked to knowledge and experience. Whenever planning a trip to Latin America or anywhere else in the world, it is absolutely essential you do your research. Try and find out as much information as you can about the country or countries you wish to visit. Travel guides such as those produced by Lonely Planet and Footprint will help you decide which places you want to visit and those you might want or should avoid. The internet is also an invaluable source of information and there are many websites dedicated to the concerns of solo female travellers. We often hear people described as being 'streetwise;' if the definition was applied to travel rather than the urban environment, some travellers could be easily be labelled as 'travelwise' (i.e. having the shrewd awareness, experience, and resourcefulness needed for survival in a difficult, often dangerous overseas environment). Travel experience (particularly in the third world) goes a long way in ensuring safety. This is because people with extensive travel experience evaluate risk more effectively and size up situations more successfully. Thus, it's fair to say that overall safety is partly dependent on the qualifications (age, knowledge and experience) of the person posing the question.

To a large degree safety is simply a case of being sensible and staying alert. For example, flaunting items such as expensive cameras, jewellery, or mobile phones is likely to attract opportunist thieves. Similarly, putting your day pack on the luggage rack of a public bus rather than keeping it on your lap or by your feet is asking for trouble. The key message here is don't take any unnecessary risks. You might fancy a late paddle on Copacabana beach (Rio de Janeiro) but any guidebook will tell you not to visit this area after dark. You might want to hit the bars and clubs in Quito but leave your valuables in your hotel. You might want to get drunk in the nearest disco but don't try walking back to your hotel late at night. It's all a matter of common sense really.

The main issue for solo female travellers is the threat of sexual harassment from local men and even male travellers. While male travellers might be a problem on occasions, you need to be aware of the culture differences between Latin American men and those from your own country. Machismo attitudes are fairly widespread among Latin American men and it is advisable to follow local practice and take your cues (i.e. how do local women deal with prolonged eye contact, etc) from local woman if you don't want to be the object of curiosity. Appropriate dress and conduct will attract less unwanted attention from the local men. It is a sad fact that many local men view Western women as promiscuous. This impression is largely due to how some women dress. Acting drunk and a bit wild is also bound to create the sort of interest you are trying to avoid. You need to balance your sense of adventure with an awareness of cultural differences. It is also important that you listen to and trust your instincts. If you are in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable as a woman, you need to follow your instincts and leave.

Most countries in Latin America are well established on the 'gringo trail,' hence, there will always be opportunities to hook up with other travellers. This will greatly reduce any hassle you might get. This should not deter any woman from travelling alone as this can be a rewarding and empowering experience. There is probably nothing more satisfying to a solo female traveller than knowing she forged her own path.

While it's true that there are specific concerns for female travellers, the risks that are out there shouldn't stop you from hitting the road. There are thousands of solo female travellers currently exploring Latin America and you could be one of them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Knight

Patagonia Expedition travel

2010-03-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

Patagonia. There really is no way to describe this magical land in a manner that does the region’s beauty any justice. Patagonia simply challenges your imagination – and wins. You just have to go there and see the place for yourself. Soaring fjords, ice blue glaciers, pristine forests, and domineering snow capped mountains, combine to create what one can only describe as a land lost to the mind but found in the heart.

Bahuaja Sonene National Park in Travel

2010-03-14T01:35:00.000-08:00

Located in the South Eastern department of Madre de Dios, Bahuaja Sonene (sometimes called the Tambopata Candomo Park) has historically been off limits to everyone. It is perhaps one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet, and is home to a number of endemic and endangered wildlife. The park is also home to an area of Amazonian savannah, the sole of its kind and unique to the area. Recently, members of an indigenous group, thought to be the Mascho Piro, were spotted living north of the park. This sighting makes the existence of indigenous groups living inside the secluded park extremely likely.

Not only it seems will this project endanger the extraordinary flora and fauna found in the reserve (much of which remains undiscovered), but it also seriously risks destroying an already endangered culture and threatening the health of members of indigenous groups who are still believed to be fatally susceptible to such maladies as the common cold.

200,000 hectares. I know it just seems like a figure, but let’s put it into perspective. Comparatively speaking, we’re talking about an area of land about the same size as Luxembourg, just a little smaller than Rhode Island. This isn’t just a few football fields – it is an enormous tract of untouched land. And not just any land either. We’re talking about what is probably the most biologically diverse environment on the planet – and in one fowl swoop, a group of backward greedy institutions would have this reduced by an area the size of a small country.

Mudskipper at Tanjung Piai - Johor.

2010-03-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

We spotted about three type of different Mudskipper around the Tanjung Piai National Park.
Sometime I like to monitor the movement and the activities of the Mudskipper, but it's just too hot under the sun...:)
I don't know the type of the three mudskippers I captured below...will be appreciate if you can provide me the name of it. Thanks.

Russian Orthodox Church In Buenos Aires

2010-03-10T01:44:00.000-08:00

It may be, you will not belive me, but my husband found a Russian orthodox church in Buenos Aires. The relatively old church, built in 1904 and adorned with icons and mosaics sent there by zar Nicholas II and Zarina Alexandra is situated in a beautiful park Lezama (or nearby).

This is a classical look of the Russian churches. They are built this way at least from X-th century. What I liked when I was in Russia last time, the modern churches have the same architecture. I see many modern Catholic churches here, in Italy. As for me, I would never pay the architects for such humiliations of the House of God. THEIR God, of those architects. A photo and my thoughts about it you can read in my post about the modern churches too.

Fortunatelly, Russian Orthodox Church as institution did not arrive at this point and their Houses of God continue to enjoy the eyes of the persons.

A Paradise within the City - Eden Eco Farm of Saleng, Johor

2010-03-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Eden Eco Farm is located at Saleng (across the railway). It's about 1.2KM from the Main road, you gonna drive into some kind of small village then you will notice a small signage pointing the direction to Eden Eco Farm. (N1 38.410 E103 38.455)

One simple way to identify the road is...It's not a 'Tar' road, but just un-paved road. The slogan was 'Earth road, back to nature'.

I never expect this peace of Nature Beauty exist between the busy city, so I called it - 'Paradise'.

I was actually follow the group of children having their activities at the farm, what a coincidence! I discovered this nature.

Un paved road that lead to Eden Eco Farm

The owner of the farm - Mr Steven Lim was a very friendly guy who welcome us once we step into the area. We had a chat with him (and his wife) and understand that he took over the farm just about more than a year...

Entrance of Eden Eco Farm

"We provide services for Eco educational tourism, farm stay, retreat, conference facilities and camp site. Also supply organic fresh vegetables, fruits and eco-friendly products." said Mr Steven Lim.

Beautiful Land Rover from the farm

I love the environment Very Much! It full of greenery, fresh air and relax!

You can even have a day trip by enjoy the walk in the farm, escape from the busy and hectic city life! Understand from Steven, the farm welcome any group activities and they have rooms that be able to cater for 30-50 peoples in the main building. The charges are very much depend on the number of peoples, so please call them to confirm (roughly about MYR100.00 per person for 2 days 1 night).

The main building of the farm

Simple meals & drinks will be provided from the management. The charges included dinner and breakfast...but all of this can be pre-arrange and flexible.

The first floor of the building, where all the rooms located.

Some of the common activities like Karaoke Singing and Mahjong will NOT provided. Because all this will destroy the Peaceful Farm during the night. I'm TOTALLY agree with this!

Honestly, I think to myself...if you wanna sing, please goto KTV Center and if you wanna play Mahjong, stay at home.

Big hall at the ground floor

Beside the building, there's also a home to an Owl. According to the Business Development Manager - Mr Eric Tan, the Owl will back to the home every night...

The night ambience is great within the farm. The insect will perform the concert every night with some guest from the Mini Zoo...it's nice to have couples friends gathering here, enjoy the farm stay with the rhythm...as for me, of course will be company with 'Tiger'. :)

The home to the Owl

The Cute little Parrot will greet you when you step in to the building

After the chat with Mr Steven, I had a walk into the 20 Acres farm...It was so peaceful and relax, that's why I called it the Paradise of Nature Lover.

Because of the too many photos, I need to break it to the next post...but it was cloudy on that day, too bad the photos didn't turn up to the expectation...

Sleep in a Grounded 747 in Stockholm in travell

2010-03-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

Jumbo jet conversion to airport accommodation

Last January, I learned of a project to convert a 747 into an airport hostel at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport and wrote a post about it. I just read a piece on a neat blog called Airport Hotels, not surprisingly about airport hotels but also related subjects, that it has been completed and is operating. Look at the image on the right and click back to the ratty aircraft the developer started with.

Airport Hotels blogger Susan R. has a fascinating post not just about the Jumbo Hostel* at Arlanda but also other interesting aircraft, grounded and otherwise. She found a 727 that has been turned into a treehouse-height executive suite in Costa Rica and a plane once used by East Germany's iron-fisted Erich Honecker and now a luxury suite at Holland's Teuge Airport. Susan R. also found some futuristic flying machines and has images of all the once and future airborne wonders on her post.

The Winter Festival In Edinburgh Travel

2010-03-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

If you look for the very best place for your winter vacation, you have to think about winter festival in Edinburgh, Scotland's Capital. This city has many sides that attract tourists to visit it all year round. Vaste gardens in the centre of the town, fantastic medieval buildings and castle, houses with ghosts and not at least the traditional kitchen do not leave indifferent any heart. But the festival in winter is something completely special. Book your Edinburgh accommodation not far from the Old Town and enjoy all the possible spectacles and activities just under your windows. It's no matter, are you alown, with your friends or have little children. You will find appropriate entertainment even for babies there, because there are special programs for people of every age during this festival.

Travel Thumbnail: Cal-Neva Lodge

2010-02-28T01:48:00.000-08:00

Tour the retro resort at Lake Tahoe was Rat Pack haunt

The Place: Cal-Neva Resort, Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada

The Story: Cal-Neva at Crystal Bay, a Lake Tahoe North Shore landmark once owed by Frank Sinatra, offers great historic tour -- an amnity few casino-hotels have the history to provide. By Nevada casino standards, it low-key and restrained in appearance, but its history is as wild as anyplace in Las Vegas. The Washoe Indians once had a summer camp on the site, and the first resort, a large log lodge built in 1917 to promote real estate sales, burned to the ground 10 years later and was quickly rebuilt as a self-contained resort west of Reno. The building supplies were already at nearby Tahoe City, and reconstruction took 100 men just 40 days to complete. I'm just sayin'.

Glamour, celebrities, mob ties, suicidal owners, a little jewel of a showroom and an underground tunnel linking the main lodge with cabins on the property are part of the lore that Cynthia Langhof talked about on a historic tour given weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her mother dove to Tahoe from Idaho n a Model T Ford in 1931. She tells tales of mob connections, intrigue and mysteries. Marilyn Monroe ODed at Cal-Neva less that a week before her final, fatal overdose in Los Angeles. With a string of liaisons, some believe that she knew too much for mob comfort.

The Cal-Neva lies directly on the California-Nevada border. It was Nevada's first licensed casino and remains the oldest continuously operating casino in the US. The Indian Room just off the lobby is wood-paneled, decorated with hides and heads. It straddles the state line, and when federal agents came to inspect it, all the gaming tables were rolled to the Nevada side of the room. It was the resort's show room in the 1930s and '40s, hosted banquets and special events, and has a great dance floor. The huge stone fireplace shows the state line, but it is actually off by a bit.

Frank Sinatra bought the Cal-Neva in 1960, fronting for his Mafioso pal and partner Sam Giancana. The Rat Pack and assorted other celebs performed or visited there in those days. Those who didn't want to be seen could land at the rooftop helipad and sneak into the resort. When Sinatra owned the Cal-Neva, he had a wonderful small showroom built, because he didn't like the way his voice sounded in the Indian Room. When he was watching a show rather than performing, he either sat at a large table against the back wall or a private room one level up. The Nevada Gaming Control Board pulled Sinatra's gaming license after Sam Giancana visited the resort after he had been banned from the casino, and he sold it in 1963. Photographs of headliners of those heady days line the corridor from the casino to the showroom, and wonderful original artwork of world entertainment adorns the side walls of the showroom, used today for concerts, plays and special events.

An underground tunnel connects the main lodge with some of the 56 cabins, some of which are still rented out in the summer. Number 5 was Sinatra's. Marilyn Monroe stayed in number 3. The unadorned tunnel has two curiosities, one a faux grave for mob-connected union boss Jimmy Hoffa and the initials of Ava Gardener, reputedly the great love of Sinatra's life, on a retaining wall. Cynthia tells the backstory during the tour. There are, of course, ghost stories, and travelers who seek paranormal experiences visit as well.

Currently, Cal-Neva is for sale. The 219-room resort on almost 14 acres with such a history with Hollywood star and the political elite, especially in the Sinatra era, is owned by Canyon Capital which took over in April through a nonmarketed foreclosure. It is rumored that Brad Pitt and George Clooney were/are interested in buying and restoring it -- perhaps replacing the sore-thumb nine-story tower built in the '60s. Would that be a kick?

Cost: The Tunnel Tour costs $8 per person; reserve by calling 775-298-3160. You can take a look for free on your own, have a drink at the Round Bar under a leaded glass ceiling made with more than 7,000 pieces of German glass, poke your head into the Indian Room or look at the artifacts and memorabilia. Of course, you can play the slots or park at the tables if that's your desire. You can stay there at astonishingly inexpensive winter packages.

Information: Cal Neva Resort, 2 Stateline Road, Crystal Bay, NV 89402; 800-CAL-NEVA.

Rail Transportation to Travel

2010-02-26T01:14:00.000-08:00

President's proposal for rail expansion would alter US travel

I love trains. When I travel abroad, it is my favorite mode of transportation., I love the energetic bustle of big-city railroad stations and the convenience of traveling from center-city to center-city, and I certainly prefer reaching small communities by train to clogging up roadways with a costly rental car. I wish we still had decent, punctual trains in this country, and maybe it will happen in my lifetime. I was cheered by President Obama's State of the Union message last Wednesday that included the intention of awarding $8 billion in stimulus funds for development of light-rail corridors around the country and new high-speed rail in Florida. It makes sense from all perspectives -- employment, traveler convenience, the environmental benefits of mass transit.

A number of US and Canadian cities already have light rail rapid transit -- surface trains, not subways, that unclog roadways. When I changed planes in Phoenix not long ago, I saw that the city's Valley Metro rail line reaches Skyharbor Airport from both east and west. Vancouver's new SkyTrain (upper right) connects the airport with the center city. Light rail lines in Denver, Salt Lake City and Calgary do not currently reach their respective airports but hopefully will in the future. Kansas City voters rejected a north-south light rail line, but the regional transportation district is planning on using diesel-driven trains on existing tracks -- perhaps similar to the Albuquerque-Santa Fe Railrunner (lower right). We'll see.

Elsewhere in the world, a rail link from major airports to the city and from there to national and international train networks is taken for granted. Once again, the US, which pretends to be so enlightened and so advanced, lags far behind. I just hope that Washington a-ginners who were fixating on deconstructing proposed health care/insurance reform don't get their talons into rail transportation improvements too.

Mexican vacations | travel

2010-02-24T01:18:00.000-08:00

Traveling to Mexico between Feb. 15 and May 20? Now is the time to take advantage of a special savings opportunity for Mexican vacations booked through March 19, 2010. Participating resorts are offering:A free night with a 3-5 day minimum stay.Up to a $200 resort credit and/or room upgradeAir Discounts on coach, business, and first classDouble-click on the flyer (front page above, back page below

Black-Classic preaparation travel

2010-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Black is classic, elegant, modern, chic, edgy, tough, timeless color and it's never out of season. I love black! I have many favorite black outfits... All black outfit is not boring to me, and I know many of you love black as much as I do ;-)

My little girl is in kindergarten. She came home and told me about her science experiment of black in her class. She explored what makes up the color black, and this experiment will be displayed at science night on this Thursday night. I can't wait for her to show me how she did it. She also told me that she just like black for Halloween, her favorite color is purple;-)
Wearing: Rebbeca Taylor ruffle-sleeves sweater, AA black bodysuit, Alaia skirt, Fallon necklaces. Christian Louboutin shoes.

Haiti: Hotel Oloffson Appears to Have Survived in travel

2010-02-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

Port-au-Prince landmark hotel survived the quake

Back in the early '80s, during a period of relative quiessence in Hait (Papa Doc Duvalier having been succeeded by his more benign son, Baby Doc), the country was taking advantage of a relatively quiet period and was trying to entice foreign tourists to return. Yes, our small group of travel journalists was driven past heartbreaking shantytowns and shameful slums, but also visited places of hope and creativity. We visited the cathedral (now in ruins), repeatedly drove past the Presidential Palace (now collapsed), visited the Centre d'Art and bought some wonderful primitive paintings, bought other handcrafts at the Iron Market and drove up into the mountains past deforested mountainsides to a crafts coop and a rum distillery. And I stayed at the Hotel Oloffson, a labyrinthian frame building bedecked in elaborate fretwork and set in lush private grounds.

In Haiti's heyday, when the rich and famous frequented Haiti, the richest and most famous stayed at the Oloffson and anchored its bar. A cigar-chompoing Connecticut native, Al Seitz, took over the hotel in 1960, and over the years, hosted such big names as Jackie Onassis and Mick Jagger, and Seitz named hotel rooms after them. Graham Greeen set The Comedians at the Oloffson. After Al Seitz' death in 1982, his widow, the former Suzanne Laury, continued to operate it, and that's when I visited. The Oloffson survived thanks to foreign reporters and international aid workers who needed secure lodging

As I watched television reports of the horrible earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince two days ago, I also wondered how the Oloffson fared. The hotel has survived decades of a challenging climate, natural disasters, merciless dictatorshops and insurrections, but might have been the cruelest blow. However, it is known that wood-frame buildings withstand quakes and shakes better than poorly built masonry ones. According to a report in USA Today's "Hotel Check-In," the Oloffson seems to have dodged yet another bullet:

"At least one prominent hotel is safe - the Hotel Oloffoson, owned by Richard Morse. According to his tweets today, everyone is safe at the hotel. He tweeted, 'all my guests slept in the driveway last night..people came up from the streets thinking they were bodies.. neighbors helping neighbors.'

Christine Blanchard of New Jersey wrote in to the BBC that she 'heard a lot of people are at the Hotel Oloffson - near the center of Port-au-Prince - because it's one of the few hotels still standing.' She'd written to BBC earlier this morning after staying up all night searching for missing family in Haiti.)"

I know that is is but one small island of good news in a sea of untthinkable tragedy, but in a Molly Brown sort of way, perhaps it's a sign that beleaguered, resilient Haiti "ain't down yet."

Carnival Nixes Cougar Cruises in travel

2010-02-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

"Fun Ships" ban more meat market/meet market cruise for older women/younger men

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read about California-based Singles Travel Company's promotion of "the world's first international cougar cruise," Dec. 3-7, 2009, inviting older women and younger men to "a festive pre holiday fun weekend of dining, dancing and partying" aboard the "Fun Ship Elation." Word on the street, or on the waters, is that the cruise was a success and that demand spiked for more such trips. ""I've had to hire two more people part-time just to pick up the phones," Singles Travel Company executive director Ann Thomas told CNN at the time. "I've never seen a response quite like this."

But Carnival Cruise Line has pulled the plug on future cougar cruises, according to a report in USA Today. The line's Jennifer De la Cruz reportedly didn't say why the line had banned them. Newsweek had called 2009 "the year of the cougar," and ABC is broadcasting "Cougar Town," whose theme is, well, older women/younger men. It seems that that's a demographic mix for a latter-day "Love Boat" that Carnival doesn't care for. But with competition strong among cruise lines, I suspect that the Singles Travel Company will have no problem finding a line to pick up where Carnival left off. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.